What can the Angels expect from Josh Hamilton?

Dec. 14, 2012
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Josh Hamilton hit .285 with a career-high 43 home runs and 128 RBI last season for the Texas Rangers. The free agent outfielder agreed to a five-year contract with the Rangers' AL West rival, the Los Angeles Angels. / Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Sports

By agreeing to terms with free-agent outfielder Josh Hamilton on a five-year, $125 million contract, the Los Angeles Angels have put together an offense that could be the best in the majors.

Hamilton has put up monster numbers during his career - such as the .359, 32-homer, 100-RBI season in 2010 that earned him the AL MVP award - but he has to stay healthy in order to be productive. That's something the Angels no doubt considered in making him the offer.

At 31, Hamilton remains close to his peak after hitting .285 with a career-high 43 homers and 128 RBI last season in Texas.

Throw Hamilton in the middle of a lineup with rookie of the year (and 30-40 guy) Mike Trout and last season's top free-agent signing in Albert Pujols ... and you have a minefield for opposing pitchers to navigate every time through the order.

But remember, the Angels got excellent production last season from the spot Hamilton will be inheriting. Right fielder Torii Hunter, who signed his own free-agent deal with the Detroit Tigers, hit a career-high .313 with 16 homers, 92 RBI and 81 runs scored. In terms of Wins Above Replacement, Hunter's 5.5 was substantially higher than Hamilton's 3.4, according to Baseball-Reference.com. (Trout led the majors at 10.7.)

In addition, Hamilton will be going from one of the best home parks for hitters in Rangers Ballpark (fourth in overall Park Factor) to pitcher-friendly Angel Stadium (27th overall). That home-field advantage was a major reason the Rangers led the majors in scoring (although the Angels did finish fourth).

At 32, Pujols had a fine season (.285, 30 HR, 105 RBI), but his OPS was a career-low .859 - the first time he'd been under .900. How much of that can be attributed to getting older, changing teams or changing ballparks is debatable, but Hamilton will have those same factors in play as he arrives in Anaheim.

The Angels missed the postseason in 2012, but it wasn't the fault of their offense. Hamilton keeps them in solid shape in that regard, but there's still the issue of pitching. The Angels haven't addressed that much this offseason, and after losing Zack Greinke to free agency, there likely will be another deal or two in the works. Trout, Pujols and Hamilton will still be around, but the Angels' supporting cast could change considerably between now and opening day.